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It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold.

The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves, but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After a while of not being able to bear the hurts from their proximity, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and, being alone and frozen, they began to die.

So they had to make a choice…Either endure the hurt from the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together.

They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the warmth and heat that came from them. This way they were able to survive.

The best group is not the one that brings perfect people together, but one where each individual learns to live with the imperfections of the others and can admire their good qualities.

Better to be surrounded by warm pokes than be frozen in solitude. Stay blessed and united, great family.

God loves a united family.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. – Romans 15:1

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

The Burnt Biscuit
Purpose: Called to the Outcasts
Understanding God: How Does God See? (2)

Life is like a journey on a train with its stations, changes of routes and with accidents.

We board this train when we are born and our parents are the ones who get our ticket. We believe they will always travel on this train with us. However, at some station our parents will get off the train, leaving us alone on this journey.

As time goes by, other passengers will board the train, many of whom will be significant – our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of our life. Many will get off during the journey and leave a permanent vacuum in our lives. Many will go unnoticed that we won’t even know when they vacated their seats and got off the train. Our utmost priority is to make the journey comfortable.

This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells. There are two fellows you will never forget throughout the journey in this train, the person that creates problems in your life and the person that gives you solutions to life issues.

The mystery of this fabulous journey is that we do not know at which station we ourselves will get off. So, we must live in the best way, adjust, forget, forgive and offer the best of what we have.

Endeavor to give in even if you are right, remain humble. If you are very rich and powerful; learn to be content. If you are not rich, make time for people you care about. It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to leave our seats, we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life.

Thank you for being one of the important passengers on my train. I don’t know when you or I will get to our station, but I don’t want to miss saying, Thank you for being among those who ride with me on this journey. We will all fulfill our days.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. – Romans 15:2

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Love in A Paper Bag
Witnessing A Miracle
The Journey is So Short

Defeat! He lay there silently, a tear dropped from his eye,
“There’s no sense running anymore – three strikes and I’m out – why try?”
The will to rise has disappeared, all hope had fled away,
so far behind, so error-prone, closer all the way.

“I’ve lost, so what’s the use”, he thought “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad who soon he’d have to face.
Get up, and the echo sounded low, get up and take your place.
You were not meant for failure here, so get up and win the race.
With Borrowed will, “Get up!”, It said, “You haven’t lost at all,
for winning is not more than this, to rise each time you fall.”

So he rose to win once more, and with the new commitment he resolved to win
or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
still, he gave it all he had and ran as though to win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner as he crossed.
First place, head high and proud and happy, no falling, no disgrace.
But when the fallen youngster crossed the line, last place,
the crowd gave him the greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last, with head bow low, unproud.
You would have thought he won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well”.
“To me, you won,” his father said, “you rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and hard and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
“Quit! Give up you’re beaten,” they will shout in my face.
But another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”

– Author Unknown

Meditation: If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. – Job 14:14

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Lemon Squeeze
How to Prevail in the Battles of Life
Things in Life that Bring Lasting Fulfillment

I write this with a cup of hot chocolate (+ a hint of Bailey's) by my side, the girls at school, my notebook resting on my lap and the challenge of sharing this last year before me. As I look out my living room window, heavily faded grays, browns, and whites, reflect back. Only the boldness of red from ribbons on Christmas wreathes and on the coats of Nutcracker soldiers' stands out. It looks arctic outside. The white that covers the ground is both ice and snow and the high today will be 10°.

If I believe what I see, there is little life. There is hardly a movement. There is no warmth. The trees are bare, the lake frozen, and the wind still. It is quiet in my home and I am reminded of the barrenness of this season. Winter has come and I am in the middle of it. In these moments, my heart stirs. Sadness wants to come in. Quiet begins to engulf me. Worry tries to trickle into my thoughts. My eyes tell me coldness is all there is. It has conquered towering trees and froze expansive waters and land. My eyes tell me this is life or rather, this is how life is defeated.

So I close my eyes. My heart longs for more. My heart has always longed for more. "God, show me what I cannot see." With a richer desire, I open my eyes. Some of the same images appear but my stirred heart now notices the sled trail on the lawn where just the night before I pulled Shaelah and Sofia up a small self-made hill. I can see the run over snow angels and places where Sofie picked icicles off and enjoyed nature's popsicles. I see Shaelah's boot prints and become aware that they are closer to my size than they are to a child's.

As I look further out, the frozen lake and shoreline remind me of this year's road trips and our mini vacations in search of the perfect pool or beach. Spring break took us to Arizona where the girls discovered the small flags attached to pool lounge chairs, poolside service, and Shirley Temple drinks. Memories of our days at Lake Holiday or North Avenue beach this summer return. These girls are fish in water and connoisseurs of sandcastle tools. I can clearly see in my mind the mounds of shells they have collected over time and realize they have saved a piece of every beach we have ever been to together.

It now begins to snow. I kid you not. God's timing is perfect. As snow begins to cover the ground more, I remember our road trip to Sparta, Missouri. Gratitude overwhelms me when I think of profound friendships that would take the girls and I so far. I smile at the memory of standing in untouched nature, watching a mare and her colt galloping through open acreages and feeling the earth move beneath us. Seeing a beautiful strong mare leading her own, captures the heart of a mother. It took my breath away.

Tears are welling up in my eyes now as my heart feels like the luckiest woman in the world. I realize that the life the girls and I live is a good one. We are healthy, happy, loved and love. When the girls crawl into bed with me, I know that I have everything I need right beside me. God has always taken care of us. Always.

My takeaway this year? "Do not believe solely in what the eyes see." There is great abundance in life and we are blessed beyond what the economy, our businesses, and our trials try to tell us. If we still ourselves long enough to close our eyes, our hearts tell us that there are only a few things in life that have meaning for eternity and bring lasting fulfillment. Look for those things and life becomes alive again and again and again!

by Tania Kinzinger

Meditation: While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:18

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

The True Test
Finding Peace and Fulfillment
After A Flash of Inspiration, What’s Next? (2)

It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season that would bankrupt several farmers before it was through. Every day, my husband and his brothers would go about the arduous process of trying to get water to the fields. Lately, this process had involved taking a truck to the local water rendering plant and filling it up with water. But severe rationing had cut everyone off. If we didn’t see some rain soon we would lose everything.

It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and witnessed the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes. I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year-old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He wasn’t walking with the usual carefree abandon of a youth but with a serious purpose. I could only see his back. He was obviously walking with a great effort…trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house. I went back to making sandwiches; thinking that whatever task he had been doing was completed. Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful stride toward the woods.

This activity went on for an hour: walk carefully to the woods, run back to the house. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer and I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey (being very careful not to be seen, as he was obviously doing important work and didn’t need his Mommy checking up on him). He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very careful not to spill the water he held in them, maybe two or three tablespoons were held in his tiny hands. I sneaked close as he went into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his little face, but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much higher purpose.

As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing sight. Several large deer loomed in front of him. Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. A huge buck with elaborate antlers was dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him, he didn’t even move as Billy knelt down. And I saw a tiny fawn laying on the ground, obviously suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy’s hand.

When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house and I hid behind a tree. I followed him back to the house; to a spigot that we had shut off the water to. Billy opened it all the way up and a small trickle began to creep out. He knelt there, letting the drip, drip slowly fill up his makeshift “cup,” as the sun beat down on his little back. And it came clear to me. The trouble he had gotten into for playing with the hose the week before. The lecture he had received about the importance of not wasting water. The reason he didn’t ask me to help him.

It took almost twenty minutes for the drops to fill his hands. When he stood up and began the trek back, I was there in front of him. His little eyes just filled with tears. “I’m not wasting,” was all he said. As he began his walk, I joined him, with a small pot of water from the kitchen. I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job. I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save another life.

As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops…and more drops…and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, Himself, was weeping with pride. Some will probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence. That miracles don’t really exist. That it was bound to rain sometime. And I can’t argue with that. I’m not going to try. All I can say is that the rain that came that day saved our farm, just like the actions of one little boy saved another.

– Author Unknown

Meditation: A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.. – Isaiah 42:3

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

The Miracle
The Miracle of a Song
Do You Know Miracles?

To the Artist, He is the One Altogether Lovely.

To the Architect, He is the Chief Corner Stone.

To the Baker, He is the Living Bread.

To the Banker, He is the Hidden Treasure.

To the Biologist, He is the Life.

To the Builder, He is the Sure Foundation.

To the Carpenter, He is the Door.

To the Doctor, He is the Great Physician.

To the Educator, He is the Great Teacher.

To the Engineer He is the New and Living Way.

To the Florist He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.

To the Geologist He is the Rock of Ages.

To the Horticulturist He is the True Vine.

To the Judge, He is the Righteous Judge, Judge of All Men.

To the Jeweler He is the Pearl of Great Price.

To the lawyer, He is the Counselor, the Lawgiver, the Advocate.

To the Newspaper, He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.

To the Oculist, He is the Light of the Eyes.

To the Philanthropist, He is the Unspeakable Gift.

To the Philosopher, He is the Wisdom of God.

To the Preacher, He is the Word of God.

To the Sculptor, He is the Living Stone.

To the Servant, He is the Good Master.

To the Statesman He is the Desire of All Nations.

To the Student, He is the Incarnate Truth.

To the Theologian He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

To the Toiler He is the Giver of Rest.

To the Sinner, He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World.

To the Christian, He is the Son of the Living God, the Savior, the Redeemer and the Lord.

– Author Unknown

Meditation: With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. – 2 Samuel 22:26-27

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

The Christmas Gift
Who Started Christmas?
Ten Reasons to Believe in the Christian Faith

That next heartbeat, that’s what we pray for. We are the medically challenged. We are the ones who keep our medical appointments because we must. To miss that appointment is just unthinkable. We are the ones who stand, or wheel, or linger between each heartbeat, hoping for new medications or praying for a cure. Most of us pray every day. We cling to a merciful God whom we are certain will give us that next heartbeat.

Please do not feel pity, for we have learned to rejoice in each moment that we are alive. We memorize sunsets and sunrises, and we celebrate the smiles and nuances of the ones we love. We are captivated by life. We revel at each new bird that stops by to visit our feeders, even the starlings, the pigeons, the sparrows and the doves. In the mountains, we feel blessed to see the bluebird, the indigo bunting, the woodpecker, and the thrush. In the south near the ocean, we rejoice over the plumage of the flamingoes, with their hot pink wings, and we have committed to memory the piercing cries of the pelican and the gull. Flowers thrill us, no matter their scent, shade or hue. Nothing delights us more than the sight of spring’s promise bursting forth from its long winter’s rest, petals lifting their heads and reaching for the rain and sun.

We sometimes need assistance, and some of us are blessed to have family and friends who are willing to haul the potting soil, build raised beds, and make a wonderland of colorful blooms, just so that we can watch from our window and marvel at their beauty. We survivors of life look back occasionally at our healthy days, and often we regret the times that we wasted on worry, depression, anger, and fear. So, many of us have gone beyond fear, to a brave new world of hope.

We are thankful for every new medication that has not only extended our lives but has improved its quality. We would not be here, celebrating, without the miraculous drugs available today. We would not want to miss a single moment of our lives.

We have discovered that we can still grow and change. We have learned to love more and laugh more, and, frankly, life is worth it. How could it not be?!

Just this year, in spite of record-breaking winter lows that left me shivering, and now, into a cold and windy spring all the tiny twigs that I planted six years ago have thrived, and they are bursting into bloom. Through sunshine and shadow, they have triumphed over the clay and rock-strewn ground that I, laughingly, call soil.

I have many reasons to be thankful, and each day I like to number a few. Sometimes the list becomes so long that I just have to sit and marvel at a God who provides so many reasons for me to celebrate life. I have dreamed of writing stories, all my life, and reaching the hearts and minds of others throughout the world. This dream would not have been possible until a few years ago when the internet exploded into a place of instant communication and friendship.

I am thankful for the stories of my life that have been guided by a loving God who holds the outcome of every possibility in His hand. These connections through his grace have given feet to my thoughts and wings to my dreams.

by Jaye Lewis

Meditation: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. – Hebrews 10:23

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Love in A Paper Bag
It’s Out Of Your Hands
If You Want Your Dreams to Come True…

2+5=7
6+1=7
3+4=7
7-0=7
7+0=7
9-2=7
8-1=7
11-4=7
15-8=7
14/2=7
21/3=7
70/10=7
7×1=7

What is my point? There are many ways of getting to your final destination. God may not take you through the same way He took your mother, father, friend or colleague. What matters is that He will take you to your destination if you don’t give up.

At times, you get there by adding things and people to your life. Other times you will get there by subtracting certain things and people from your life. Other times, you may need the multiplying effect of seed, information and relationships. Other times, division and separation may be inevitable.

Some of these may not be fun. When 2 was alone, it may not have been comfortable until 5 was added. What matters is not the addition, subtraction, multiplication or division, it’s the ultimate end. Yes, the process may differ, but the destination is still the same. All things will work together for your good and expected end.

Don’t give up on the process. You are a tool. Do not reject Destiny. When He adds and subtract things, do not resist. Learn to let go when He subtracts. Stop crying, lamenting and drowning in tears of pity and fear of moving on. Every circumstance is building you for the castle God has prepared for you. All things will work together for your good. Head or tail you will win. So, don’t give up on the process.

Author Unknown

Meditation: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. – Isaiah 43:2

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

A Finger to Hold
The Crosspollination of Life
You Are Amazing! (And I Can Prove It)

While I was pondering about life, I discovered that: Sometimes, to succeed in life you need enemies! Yes!

You need people who will mock you so that you can run to God.

You need people who will try to intimidate you so that you can be courageous.

You need people who will say "NO" so that you can learn how to be independent...how to do it yourself.

You need people who will disappoint you so that you can put all your trust in God alone.

You need people who will work towards you losing that job so that you can start your own business.

You need people who will sell your 'Joseph' so that 'he' can get to Egypt.

You need a cruel landlord so that you won't be too comfortable in someone else's house, then you can build your own house on time.

But sometimes, when we are disappointed, we feel very bad and we tend to remain on that spot. Not knowing that the endpoint of disappointment is the beginning of your accomplishments.

Understand this, every disappointment you once had came with a blessing. However, it is not everyone that partakes in this blessing.

You cannot see a newly opened door while you are still putting all your attention, time and energy into trying to force the closed one to open.

No disappointment ever comes without an attached blessing. So, when disappointment comes, thank God for it and tell Him to open your eyes to see the new blessing that He has packaged in it for you.

Disappointment is Phase 1; accomplishment is Phase 2. I doubt if you can jump the protocol. That is why it is called BREAKthrough. Something must BREAK so that you can go through!

Author Unknown

Meditation: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Mean Moms
The Dark Spot
Take Control of You

One day, during an evening class for adults, the psychology Teacher entered the class and told the students, “Let’s all play a game.”

The Teacher asked one of the students to volunteer. A lady, Aliza, came forward. The Teacher asked her to write 30 names of the most important people in her life on the board.

Aliza wrote the names of her family members, relatives, friends, colleagues and her neighbors.

The Teacher told her to erase three names that she considered most unimportant. Aliza erased the names of her colleagues.

The Teacher again told her to delete five more names. Aliza erased her neighbors’ names. This went on until there were just four names left on the board. These were the names of her mother, father, husband and only son. The entire class became silent, realizing that this wasn’t a game anymore for Aliza alone.

Now, the Teacher told her to delete two more names. It was a very difficult choice for Aliza as she unwillingly deleted her parents’ names.

“Please delete one more,” the Teacher said.

Aliza became very nervous and with trembling hands and tears in her eyes, she deleted her son’s name. Aliza cried painfully.

The Teacher told Aliza to take her seat. After a while, he asked, “Why your husband? The parents are the ones that nurtured you, and the son is the one you gave birth to. And you can always find another husband!”

There was total silence in the class. Everyone was curious to know her response.

Aliza calmly and slowly said, “One day my parents will pass away before me. My son may also leave me when he grows old, for his studies or business or whatever reason. The only one who will truly share his entire life with me is my husband.”

All the other students stood up and applauded her for sharing this truth of life.

This is true. God created marriage for all and it’s a relationship for life. Always value your life partner, it’s not only for husbands alone but wives as well. God has united these two souls as one and it’s on you to nurture your relationship above all other relationships you have with friends, loved ones and family.

Before marriage, God is first, your family second; but when you marry, God is first and your husband or wife second. So when you marry, Enjoy your marriage and make it healthy, peaceful and romantic.

Author Unknown

Meditation: But he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife… she who is married cares about the things of the world—how she may please her husband. – 1 Corinthians 7:33-34

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

The Source of All Truth
Of A Truth, Jesus Loves You
How Do You React When Hit By The Truth?

“It’s out of my hands!” I thought to myself. There’s nothing more I can do.”

It seems so final, so absolute.

I heard those words once spoken when I was fired from a job I loved.

The look on my face begged for an explanation.

“Why?” I asked. “Can’t you do something about it?”

“It’s out of my hands,” he said.

I heard those words spoken when my mother was dying from cancer. I was just 21 years old, still young enough to believe that doctors heal and mothers can make boo-boos better with a kiss.

“It’s out of my hands,” he said.

With that, we knew it was over.

Hands that I shook when I accepted a job suddenly couldn’t hold me there.

Hands that I depended on to bandage a wound, gently inject an antibiotic, sign an excuse to miss school, and couldn’t make my mother well.

Hands that nurtured, wiped away tears, caressed my face, guided me across the street and welcomed me home, would no longer be there.

Today I spoke to a friend about a project I worked on, a dream I’ve held in my heart for years now and how much it would mean in my life at this time if it worked out.

He said, “You’ve done all that you could, Bob.”

He left and I sat there alone in my dreams.

I looked down at my hands and realized that they have grown old along with me. Wrinkled, dried up, bruised and scarred, still they’ve never let me down.

“As long as I have faith, this dream is not out of my hands,” I said.

With that I raised my hands, placed the palms together and said a prayer.

By Bob Perks

Meditation: …Those who trust in the LordAre like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever. – Psalm 125:1

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Love in A Paper Bag
Wings to My Dreams
If You Want Your Dreams to Come True…

Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out ALL OF IT, of course!

Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft.

Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours.

There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow.” You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of one year, ask a student who failed a grade.

To realize the value of one month, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of one week, ask the editor of a weekly magazine.

To realize the value of one hour, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of one minute, ask a person who missed the train.

To realize the value of one second, ask a person who just avoided an accident.

To realize the value of one millisecond, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time.

And remember that time waits for no one.
Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That’s why it’s called the present!

Author Unknown

Meditation: See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. – Ephesians 5:15-16

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Friendship
Forever Friendship
The Test of Real Friendship

It was Molly’s job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work. One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag. This one was worn and held together with duct tape, staples, and paper clips.

“Why two bags?” her father asked.

“The other is something else,” Molly answered.

“What’s in it?”

“Just some stuff. Take it with you.”

Not wanting to hold court over the matter, he stuffed both sacks into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off. At midday, while hurriedly scarfing down his real lunch, he tore open Molly’s bag and shook out the contents: two hair ribbons, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a pencil stub, a tiny seashell, two animal crackers, a marble, a used lipstick, a small doll, two chocolate kisses, and 13 pennies.

The busy father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the wastebasket- leftover lunch, Molly’s junk and all.

That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper.

“Where’s my bag?”

“What bag?”

“You know, the one I gave you this morning.”

“I left it at the office. Why?”

“I forgot to put this note in it,” she said. “And, besides, those are my things in the sack, Daddy, the ones I really like – I thought you might like to play with them, but now I want them back. You didn’t lose the bag, did you, Daddy?”

“Oh, no,” he said, lying. “I just forgot to bring it home. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”

While Molly hugged her father’s neck, he unfolded the note that had not made it into the sack: “I love you, Daddy.”

Molly had given him her treasures. All that a 7-year-old held dear. Love in a paper bag, and he missed it – not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket. So back he went to the office. Just ahead of the night janitor, he picked up the wastebasket and poured the contents on his desk.

After washing the mustard off the dinosaurs and spraying the whole thing with breath freshener to kill the smell of onions, he carefully smoothed out the wadded ball of brown paper, put the treasures inside and carried it home gingerly, like an injured kitten. The bag didn’t look so good, but the stuff was all there and that’s what counted.

After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack. It took a long time to tell. Everything had a story or a memory or was attached to dreams and imaginary friends. Fairies had brought some of the things.

He’d given her the chocolate kisses; she’d kept them for when she needed them. “Sometimes I think of all the times in this sweet life,” he mused, “when I must have missed the affection I was being given. A friend calls this ‘standing knee-deep in the river and dying of thirst.”

We should all remember that it’s not the destination that counts in life, but the JOURNEY. That journey with the people we love is all that really matters. Such a simple truth is so easily forgotten.

Author Unknown

Meditation: Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; – Romans 12:10

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Pedal
Forever Friendship
Lessons in Companionship from A Lizard

A guy met one of his schoolmates several years after school and he could not believe his eyes; his friend was driving one of the latest sleek Mercedes Benz cars. He went home feeling awful and very disappointed in himself. He thought he was a failure. What he didn't know was that his friend was a driver and had been sent on an errand with his boss's car!

Rosemary nagged her husband always for not being romantic. She accused him of not getting down to open the car door for her as her friend Jane's husband did when he dropped her off at work. What Rosemary didn't know was that Jane's husband's car had a faulty door that could only be opened from the outside!

Sampson's wife went to visit one of her longtime friends and was very troubled for seeing the three lovely kids of her friend playing around. Her problem was that she had only one child and have been struggling to conceive for the past five years. What she didn't know was that only one of those kids was the biological child of her friend and he had sickle cell and had just a year left to live; the other two were adopted!

Life does not have a universal measuring tool; so create yours and use it. Looking at people and comparing yourself with them will not make you better, only bitter. If you know the sort of load the chameleon carries, you wouldn't ask why it takes those gentle strides. So, enjoy what you have and be grateful for it. Not all that glitters is gold, everyone is going through one thing or the other, live and be happy with what you have.

Author Unknown

Meditation: we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. – 2 Corinthians 10:12

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Who is Happy?
Two Things that Have No Benefit
Making a Case for the Word (Part 1)

There were two houses standing next to each other. In one of them resided a very unhappy family. The spouses yelled at each other, they fought and quarreled all the time. The other was a place of happiness and calm. During one of the fights, a wife asked her husband: “Did you ever hear them quarrel or yell over at that house? No! So, go there and see what they do to avoid it!”

The husband stood at the window of his neighbors and watched. There they were busy doing their own thing. The wife was in the kitchen cooking and the man sat at the table writing. The phone rang and the man jumped up and headed to the hallway to get it.

On his way he bumped into a vase, it fell and broke. He got down to his knees and started picking up the pieces. The wife ran into the room from the kitchen. She also knelt down and started helping her husband to pick them up.

The man said to his wife: “I am so sorry. I rushed to get the phone and bumped into the vase. It fell and got broken.”

The wife replied: “No, honey, it is my fault. I put it there on the way. That’s why you bumped into it.”

They kissed, and that was over. Both got back to what they were doing.

The man who watched them returned to his wife. She wanted to know what the secret of their happiness was. What he said was fantastic: “I know it now. In their family they both are guilty and in our family, both of us are always right!”

That’s the secret of family happiness. The trick isn’t in not wanting to take responsibility, but rather in not claiming a right. There are times you need to forfeit your right to foster peace: it all depends on which you cherish most.

This recipe is applicable, not only in the home but also at work, on the road, in the marketplace, between nations, all relationships.

Meditation: It is honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel. – Proverbs 20:3

Author Unknown

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Supermarket Checkout
The Crosspollination of Life
How to Live in Harmony with Other People

As a carpenter went home after closing from his workshop, a black, poisonous cobra entered his workshop.

The cobra was hungry and hoped to find its supper lurking somewhere within. It slithered from one end to another and accidentally bumped into a double-edged metal axe and got slightly injured.

In anger and seeking revenge, the snake bit the axe with full force. What could a bite do to a metallic axe? Instead, the cobra’s mouth started bleeding.

Out of fury and arrogance, the cobra made to strangle and kill the object that was causing it such pain by wrapping itself very tightly around the blades.

The next day when the carpenter opened his workshop, he found a seriously cut, dead cobra wrapped around the axe blades.

The cobra died not because of someone else’s fault but faced these consequences merely because of its own anger.

Sometimes when angry, we try to cause harm to others, but as time passes by, we realise that we have only caused more harm to ourselves instead.

For a happy life, it is best we learn to ignore and overlook some things, people, incidents, affairs and matters.

It is not necessary that we react to everything. Step back and ask yourself if the matter is really worth responding or reacting to.

People that show no inclination to change, are best handled with silence and prayer.

Author Unknown

Meditation: Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools. – Ecclesiastes 7:9

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Throwing Darts
Time Management
The Rancher and the Agent

Ginny and I sat on the deck, like we do a lot, and watched the world flow by. A robin flew into the tree in the yard. It had a twig in its mouth.

“Looks like they’re building a nest,” Ginny said.

“I think you’re right.” I watched the robin select a perfect spot and thread the branch into position. A second robin with a twig joined the first.

Throughout the next few days, we watched the mates work together to construct a resting place for their soon-to-be-laid eggs. The nest was completed. A few days later, momma bird settled into her new home. The two parents took turns warming the eggs, always aware of the needs of the other and their precious charge. Each knew the other needed nourishment and the eggs needed warmth. It was a perfect partnership.

Every hour or less, the two robins traded places keeping the eggs safe, while the other flew off in search of warmth. The rains fell. At night, the temperatures dropped below freezing, but the two robins, who chose a safe position for their nest, stuck by their eggs. They knew their duties. The wind blew; the tree rocked, and the robins held tight. The eggs would not fall on their watch.

A week or two later, Ginny and I watched as they carried worms to the newly hatched babies. Again, they took turns, sacrificing their own needs for the babies God blessed them with. We watched three little beaks rise above the rim of the nest, and reach for Mom or Dad, as they delivered their meals.

One morning I sat, drank my tea and read a book. The morning sun warmed me. The day was peaceful. No one stirred. I heard a bird chirp in front of me. I looked up. No bird was in sight. It chirped again.

“OK! I hear you, but where are you?”

I stood. The yard was empty. The chirping stopped. I gave the yard one more look, scratched my head, and sat to read. Out of the corner of my eye, I detected movement. One of the young robins hoped over my foot, chirped, and looked up at me. Little white baby feathers stuck out from the side of its face and head. It looked like a bad feather day for this one.

“Hey, little fella. Did you make the big leap?”

“Chirp!”

“Really?” I asked. “Is that all you have to say?”

“Chirp!”

I moved. Little robin hopped to the safety of a small bush by the fence.

“So that’s where you’ve been hiding!”

He peeked out at me from behind the thorny branches.

“Chirp!”

I left him or her alone and went inside. Later, I went outside and there were two of the babies on the patio. Only one remained in the nest. It sat on the edge of the nest, chirped for his siblings, but they were gone. Mom and Dad followed their two coup-flying offspring around the yard. They no longer pushed worms between the baby’s beaks. They put the worms beside them. The hungry young needed to learn how to satisfy their hunger, pick up the worms and feed themselves. In the nest, the last of the family sat and continued to chirp for its dinner. I watched it for another day. Momma and Daddy flew to a branch close to the nest with a tasty worm dangling from their beaks. The last baby chirped and watched its parent fly off with dinner.

“Chirp! My dinner?”

It sat at the edge of the nest and cried out for food, but Mom and Dad refused. It hopped around the edge of the nest, leaned forward, flapped its wings, chirped hesitated, and settled back in the nest. It cried for food, but none came. Momma and Poppa had worms. They dangled them in front of their baby. Momma flew off. Hunger took over. Baby jumped to the edge of the nest. Its fear was a smaller power than its hunger. It balanced, looked at the ground, spread its young wings and leapt toward momma on the ground. Nature taught it to flap and fly. Its heart raced as the ground gently came up to greet it. Momma rewarded its effort with the food it so badly wanted.

Robins, who mate for life, have many lessons to teach: a life devoted to their mate, commitment to family, and the ability to look at their children and say,

“Life has many worms. If you want yours, you need to fly. You need to know when it is time to fly from the nest.”

By Michael T. Smith

Meditation: The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. – Psalm 34:10

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

A Lesson in Leadership
Purpose: Created to Preach
How to Make Life Easy for Your Children

I could not keep it to myself anymore. I drove all the way to Dad’s office and confessed to him I was in love with a young lady. He asked for her name and description. He kept smiling as I described her to him. Afterwards, we prayed together and trusted God for His leading.

Daddy did not say a word.

Two days later, my wife said “Yes” to my marriage proposal. I told both dad and mom as a birthday gift for him. My mom smiled and said, “Months earlier when your father went to preach at the Corpers’ Fellowship, he saw her and the Holy Spirit told him then, “Isn’t she the wife of your son?”

I was the only unmarried son. So it had to be me. But daddy kept his peace about this and did not utter a word until I told him.

I want to talk to men: You must be the priest of your home. Nothing must happen without your knowledge. If your wife is the one waking you up for family devotion and setting the pace, then something is wrong with you.

You must chart the course of your children’s lives in prayer. Call them by name in prayer and prophesy over them. Bless your wife daily. Lay hands on her before you step out. What makes a man is far beyond finance and romance; you must be a man of prayer! Nothing must happen in your home until you permit it, not by stubborn conduct but by prayers.

Brother, if you are unmarried now and you are not learning to pray, you are living like a spiritual gambler saying, “what will be will be.” You need to wake up and smell the coffee. Stop sleeping like a log of wood. Wake up at night and pray in tongues by the Spirit. Take on the Word and confess it. Do not leave your future home or anything to chance.

Marriage is not a game. Fathers and fathers-to-be, take your place. Build finance, learn Romance but exercise your Spirit and take your place.

Author Unknown

Meditation: [God has] made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. – Revelation 5:10

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

The Father’s Hand
Grandfather’s Table
The “Our Father” Prayer

Recently, when I was going to bed after using my bathroom, I started hearing the sound of drops of water from the tap in slow succession, but since it was dropping into an empty bucket, I decided to let it be.

But, alas! When I woke up the next morning, around 5 am, the bucket was almost full! I was surprised that just drops even in such slow successions could produce that much. I couldn't help it, 'Just drops?!' I questioned rhetorically.

But the following night, I made sure that the tap in my bathroom was locked completely and I checked the bucket and saw that it was empty, though wet. Then I went to sleep.

I guess you already know what I saw the next morning. The bucket was not wet as I had left it, but it was now dry!

Then I realized the importance of a drop and how much difference it can make in all ramifications of one's life compared to a dry tap.

Imagine letting the drops be for a year, I would be scooping with drums at the end of the year!

So, how about that drop of savings?

How about a drop of reading useful books today and every day?

How about that drop of a verse of the scripture today and every day?

How about that drop of prayer today and every day?

How about that drop of a soul won for Christ today and every day?

How about a drop of worship today and every day?

How about a drop of steps towards your God-given dream today and every day?

How about a drop of giving into your heavenly account?

What virtue and discipline will you start today in little drops?

Never neglect the importance of a drop, for when the harvest time comes, you would have made a big difference.

-- Author Unknown

Meditation: Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. – Exodus 23:30

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Angels in Indiana
Purpose: Anointed to Do Good

A construction supervisor from the 16th floor of a building was calling a worker who was on the ground floor. But because of the noise, the worker did not hear his call.

To draw his attention, the supervisor threw a $50 note down in front of the worker. He picked up the note, kept it in his pocket and continued his work. Again, the supervisor threw a $100 note and the man this time quickly picked it and kept it in his pocket.

Now exasperated, the supervisor picked a small stone nearby and threw it at the man. The stone hit him, and this time he looked up, so the supervisor was now able to communicate with him.

Now think about this… God wants to communicate with us, but we are usually too busy doing our things to pay Him attention.

Then, He gives us small gifts and big gifts to draw our attention to Himself, but we only keep them and continue with our life. We keep on enjoying the gifts He keeps throwing at us without much of a thank you. At most, we just say: we are have been blessed.

But, when we are hit with a small stone which, we call problems, then we remember God. That is when we look up to pray and communicate with Him. God gives and forgives, while we get and forget. It’s time we changed our attitude.

Don’t wait for stones to be thrown at you before you realise you have to commune with God. Always remember Him in your everyday endeavours and make it a duty to always say, “Thank You, Lord!”

— Author Unknown

Meditation: Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them.” – Ecclesiastes 12:1

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Meeting with God
An Interview with God
A Heart-to-Heart Talk With God

Buffaloes kill 7 people every year.
Lions kill some 500 people every year.
Hippos kill about 800 people every year.
Spiders kill an estimated 5,000 people every year.
Scorpions kill an estimated 7,000 people every year.
Snakes kill an estimated 10,000 people every year.

And then, surprisingly, Mosquitoes kill an estimated 2.7 million people every year. Yes, the smallest are the deadliest!

Small sins, hardly noticed by many, are the most deadly to your spiritual life.

Avoid excuses for not praying and allotting few moments of your day to your Creator. Sins of omission are just as deadly as sins of commission.

Gossiping and small lies, are committed more frequently and are deadly. Mind those little compromises that you do daily. They are the ones that will bring your downfall.

Successful people have two things on their lips, “Smile and silence”. A smile can solve problems, while Silence can avoid problems.

Sugar and salt may be mixed together but ants reject the salt and carry away only the sugar. Select the right people in life and make your life better and sweeter.

If you failed to achieve your dreams, change your ways, not your Creator. Remember, trees change their leaves, not their roots.

You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks. Haters will see you walking on water and say it’s because you can’t swim. Even if you dance on water, Your enemies will accuse you of raising dust.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your own hands.

Remember Don’t ever wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. – Ephesians 5:15-17

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Wise Ideas
The Wise Sage
Living Without Sin

I wondered why I was in the queue of the accused at all. I am intelligent, aggressive, young, totally committed to my God. What am I doing here with this sheet of supposed sins in my hand? I wondered.

I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t fornicate, I don’t steal, I am righteous. Others should be here not me.

It was finally my turn to face the Man.

I placed my sheet before Him, He glanced at it and sighed softly. He looked at me and calmly said, ‘Guilty of idol worship.’

Imagine my anger, my fury, my indignation. I jumped out of the chair and said ‘Of course not! Check the sheet again, check the name, It can’t be mine.’

He sighed again and mentioned one of my names that no one knows.

I would not be stopped. It’s impossible’ I yelled. I worship only God, the Most High, Maker of heaven and earth, the King of kings and Lord of lords. I bow down to none, I have no talisman, no amulet, no pot underneath my bed.

‘You are guilty of idol worship’ He repeated calmly.

He looked at me, I looked at Him. It seemed like forever. The room was silent. I could hear the clock ticking.

Then slowly I understood.

I am never late for my British Airways flights but I am always late to church – I blinked.

My payments to unfaithful PHCN and water board are never late, but I haven’t paid my tithes in three months – I looked down.

When meeting one of our local chiefs last week I would not even pick a call in the presence of earthly royalty, but I WhatsApp in church – I swallowed.

I wouldn’t interrupt my performance appraisal with my boss for anything but I missed church last week because of a movie on TV – I squirmed uncomfortably.

I wouldn’t let a day end without talking to my spouse, but today I just said, “Hi God, Bye God.” And I didn’t even pray last night – The room began to feel hot.

I would never miss going to the bank because of the weather, but I missed the fellowship on Tuesday and Thursday because it looked really cloudy – It seems the AC in the room wasn’t working.

I would wear my party colours to party meetings and not care what anyone thought of me, but I hate to talk to my colleagues about God because of what they will think of me – Someone should fix this AC or put it on 0 because 10 was too hot for me.

I always have the latest tech toy you can think of but my bible is so worn out. I can’t even find the book of Jude in my bible anymore.

I wished the Man would get a call and leave, but He doesn’t allow anything to interrupt when He is with His children.

I felt so hot in the room, nervous sweat on my forehead, I felt so ill and weak, all of my anger and self-righteousness was gone, leaving immense guilt in its wake.

I slowly got off the chair and knelt by His feet and said ‘I am sorry, I am guilty as charged, guilty of idol worship, guilty of placing others; humans, toys; before You. I am guilty of idol worship.’

He smiled gently, looked at me with those passionate eyes of His full of love and He gave me a fresh sheet!

Deliver people from idolatry today. Deliver souls.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. – Exodus 34:14

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Righteous Idol Worshiper
Did Jesus Use A Modem?
10 Commandments for A Godly Employee

“The greatest thing anyone can do for God or man is pray.” – S. D. Gordon ‘

“Prayer is where the action is.” – John Wesley

“Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying.” – Paul E.Billheimer

“Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.” – Corrie Ten Boom

“Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees.” – William Cowper

“I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.” – Charles Spurgeon

“The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.” – Andrew Murray

“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” – Oswald Chambers

“There is no other activity in life so important as that of prayer. Every other activity depends upon prayer for its best efficiency.” – M.E. Andross

“He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day.” – John Bunyan

“I have seen many men work without praying, though I have never seen any good come out of it; but I have never seen a man pray without working.” – James Hudson Taylor

“Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the closet.” – E. M. Bounds

“We must begin to believe that God, in the mystery of prayer, has entrusted us with a force that can move the Heavenly world, and can bring it’s power down to earth.” – Andrew Murray

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” – Mother Teresa

“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” – C.S. Lewis

“The more you pray, the less you’ll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You’ll feel more patient and less pressured.” – Rick Warren

“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” – Martin Luther

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” – Oswald Chambers

“He who kneels the most stands the best.” – D.L. Moody

“I’ll always say my prayers…and if God doesn’t answer them at once I shall know it’s because He’s planning something better for me.” – Johanna Spyri/Heidi

Meditation: The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. – James 5:16

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

The Lord’s Prayer
Is Prayer Important?
Prayer Changes Things

In one week’s time, which was just two and a half weeks ago, my family experienced two losses. While facing my losses, I was forced to face my riches. The first loss was the tragic and unexpected death of one of my good friends, De, who was thirty-six years old as well as four and a half months pregnant with her third child. The second loss was the death of my eighty-seven-year-old great-uncle, Jack, the last “grandparent” figure in our small family.

During my Uncle Jack’s funeral, the pastor said something which caused me to put down my tear-soaked tissue for a moment and think. Yes, there will be a void in my heart for both De and Uncle Jack. But, we celebrate their lives and how we are richly blessed by knowing them. And, we will get to see them one day in heaven because both had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Richly blessed, rich? We don’t seem to hear that word a lot today. The pastor went on to say that there are three “F’s” to the greatest riches in the world. These are faith, family, and friends. When we have faith, we are children of the richest King in the world! That King makes us heirs to mansions in heaven.

I am rich because I have a family that cares for and loves me. If I didn’t have a family like this, who knows where I would be after receiving life-threatening injuries in my car crash in which two of my friends perished? Would I have received the best medical care and treatment or just been admitted to any medical facility?

I am rich because I have friends that care how my family is doing. They help celebrate successes and are there when I hit milestone birthdays. When times are tough, I remind myself of the blessings in my life. And suddenly, I remember I’m rich, and life is grand again. Though there are times when money may be tight, look around you. You have the keys to life’s greatest riches.

Take a look to see what part the three “F’s” play in your life. Do you make time for your faith? Your family? Your friends? If not, what’s stopping you? As I see it, the three “F’s” don’t cost any money. But, they do “cost” time.

Here are three thoughts to gain the greatest riches in your life today: 1. Invest in your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 2. Spend more quality time with your family. This could be taking a walk around your neighborhood or going to the park, or maybe even sitting down and eating dinner together at least five times a week. 3. Get together for fellowship and great times with friends.

It’s time well invested, and riches well received.

To your wealth!

by Darcy Keith

Meditation: So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Excess and Excuses
The Richest Man in Idaho
The Secret to Being Happy

This past Sunday my family and I went on our annual hiking trip to the Mohonk Mountain Preserve. For those of you who are not familiar with this hike, it is an extremely difficult climb on a treacherous terrain of sharp rocks, small caves, and the ever-so-famous “Lemon Squeeze,” where you must contort your body in order to squeeze through narrow openings towards the daylight.

Once we arrived at the beginning of the trail, we began to determine who was going to take on this “beast of a climb” and who was going to relax by the lake. There were five risk-takers who decided that they would conquer the “Lemon Squeeze,” one of which is my cousin, Danny. Danny was inflicted with a stroke upon birth and has a deficit of strength and coordination of one side of his body. Many of the family members, who have experienced the wrath of the Lemon Squeeze on prior occasions, tried their best to coax Danny not to partake in the festivities in fear that he would either get severely injured or simply fail, but Danny would not stand for these recommendations and was determined to participate.

As we began, I made sure to situate myself behind Danny, just in case he had any problems, but I have to admit that I was petrified. This is a difficult climb for someone who is in incredible physical shape, let alone someone who has deficits with half of their body. From the onset of this voyage, Danny was struggling, he fell, he was in pain, but he did not give up. I looked into his eyes and I saw FEAR, but even more importantly, I saw COURAGE. There was a point that he literally fell off a rock and knocked me down with him, but he refused to quit and was determined to finish the climb.

To make a long story short, Danny made it. He finished the Lemon Squeeze, and for the first time in his life did not allow his disability from preventing him to partake in an activity. Was he afraid? Of course, he was. He was probably terrified, but his drive for success, his determination to prevail, and his desire for accomplishment allowed him to reach the pinnacle of the mountain.

Now Danny’s conquest may have inspired some, or potentially brought a tear to your eye, or may seem to have nothing to do with your current situation, but regardless of the way that you interpreted this story, the message is timely, especially with what we are experiencing as a nation.

I am sick and tired of hearing the line, “It is a bad economy out there, I am so afraid.” What is this supposed to mean? I wish that I were as powerful as all of these news stations because they have accomplished their goal by utilizing the power of words to escalate people’s fears. What they have done is brainwashed America to be “more careful,” when in actuality they have taught us to be more AFRAID. We are scared that we will have to foreclose on our homes; scared that our financial portfolios will go to zero; scared to lose our jobs in fear that we will not have health benefits and a consistent paycheck, and scared of a recession or maybe even a depression.

We are living every single moment SCARED about the next step, which has not even taken place and even more FRIGHTENED of the one that will follow. This approach has the capacity to lead our nation into complacency, where people are willing to simply weather the storm and try to “survive.” But if Danny were to simply try to “survive” when climbing the Lemon Squeeze, he might have gotten hurt because he would not have had the right attitude to actually succeed.

This goes for all of you as well, if you are living a life where you can not go to sleep at night or wake up in the morning because of the “economy” then you are going to miss out on the opportunity that I call LIFE. Was Danny careful on this journey? Of course, as should all of you because this is a precarious time in American history, but Danny did not allow this “careful mentality” to prevent him from doing what he intended to do at Mohonk.

I would like to challenge each and every one of you to control your fears. The current situation is unfortunate, but it is NOT LIFE-THREATENING unless you allow it to be. If there is something critical or pertinent to deal with in your life, whether it is a business opportunity, or change in your job, relationships, or living situation, then stop being complacent and do something about it. For Danny, he was sick and tired of being “left out,” and instead of allowing his disability and fear to prevent him from achieving his goal, he CONTROLLED his emotions and climbed Mount Mohonk. This past weekend was a pivotal moment in Danny’s life, and I encourage all of us to learn from his determination and use our current “circumstances,” as a stepping-stone to take action rather than be defeated by our fears.

The famous author Erica Jong says it best, “I have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me.” So the time is here and the time is now to STOP BEING AFRAID, stop being immobilized by your fears, and join Danny on his quest through the Lemon Squeeze of life. I believe in all of you.

By Jared Yellin

Meditation: The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion. – Proverbs 28:1

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Holy Humor
The Room Filled
How Much Do You Hand Over to Jesus?

In India, elephants are used for manual labor. When an elephant is small and weighs approximately 200 pounds, it is securely tied with a heavy-duty rope. In between ‘jobs’, the elephant tries to break through its limitation. The calf whines, tugs, and even tries to chew through the rope-but it is unable to break free.

Finally, the elephant gives up his will and accepts his circumstances. The elephant believes there is absolutely no chance to free himself and overcome his limitation. In doing so, he misses out on his defining moment.

A defining moment is the exact moment one adopts or accepts a new belief that drastically transforms their life. They accept this new belief as a new truth, regardless if it is true or not. Because the brain accepts repetition of thought and deduction as ‘the truth,’ the rope reigns sovereign not only in the calf’s immediate environment but in his mind as well.

With this belief deeply embedded in the elephant’s mind, his handler came up with an ingenious idea to permanently disempower him. He realized all that was needed was to tie the four-ton animal up with extremely small ropes and he would remain tied. You see in the elephant’s mind, any size rope would keep him securely confined.

Don’t act like an elephant. Size up and break through the confining ropes in your mind. When you’re faced with change, change your perspective. When you’re overwhelmed with something new; change your view. Use affirmations to eradicate limitations and nothing will be impossible for you!

By Fran Briggs

Meditation: But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

God Needs You!
How to be Free, Manifest and Succeed (1)
How to be Free, Manifest and Succeed! (2)

A – Always trust them to God’s care

B – Bring them to church

C – Challenge them to high goals

D – Delight in their achievements

E – Exalt the Lord in their presence

F – Frown on evil

G – Give them love

H – Hear their problems

I – Ignore not their childish fears

J – Joyfully accept their apologies

K – Keep their confidence

L – Live a good example before them

M – Make them your friends

N – Never ignore their endless questions

O – Open your home to their visits

P – Pray for them by name

Q – Quicken your interest in their spirituality

R – Remember their needs

S – Show them the way of salvation

T – Teach them to work

U – Understand they are still young

V – Verify your statements

W – Wean them from bad company

X – eXpect them to obey

Y – Yearn for God’s best for them

Z – Zealously guide them in biblical truth

– Author Unknown

Meditation: Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22:6

Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, – Deuteronomy 4:9

You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” – Deuteronomy 4:40

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Mean Moms
Lord, I Thank You
Take Care of Your Parents

It hurts me to write this story. But I must write it. I live in Canada, which is seen as a rich country. The country to the south of us, the United States, also falls into this category. As a writer, I’ve been blessed that my work has touched so many lives in so many corners of the world.

I receive many letters. An enormous amount of them come from places where it isn’t as good as we have it here. Yet these letters are filled with hope and optimism. Terror and fear are daily occurrences in countries like Africa, India and Papua New Guinea [PNG] just to name a few. Yet when I read the letters from people living in these and many more places, their passion is overwhelming. You also have great respect for their rich, individual heritages.

You look at Papua New Guinea and discover it has over 800 languages. Each province has more than 20 different languages. Not all of them have the same dialect. The only language that they all can speak and understand is called “Pidgin English.” 800 languages means that they also have a number of different customs and traditions. All just loaded with culture and character.

North America is the richest of nations, yet, for the most part, our culture is one of excess and excuses.

Excess: We eat too much. We drink too much. We spend far too much.

Excuses: We point fingers. We blame others. We dwell in dysfunction.

We are rich with excess and excuses. For so many, we have a hard time speaking one language. We have bigger houses and bigger broken homes. Divorce is the norm. We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We’ve learned how to make a living but not a life. It’s time that we stop our spoiled, self-centered ways.

Time we look in the mirror at our fat selves. Weak with character, high with cholesterol. Time we wake up. Time we learn that life isn’t about ‘things’. Time that we use our rich resources for positive change. Time we give back. Help others. Time our lives are filled with purpose. In that we will have a real reason to live.

By Miles Patrick Yohnke

Meditation: But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” – Luke 12:20-21

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

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Essence Of Family
No Excuse Sunday
The Wings of Burdens

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “You have seen Hell.”

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the Holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The Holy man said, “I don’t understand.”

“It is simple” said the Lord, “it requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.”

When Jesus died on the cross he was thinking of you!

— Author Unknown

Meditation: For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. – Romans 14:7-8

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

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Pennies From Heaven
Don’t Shut Your Heavens! (Part 1)
Don’t Shut Your Heavens! (Part 2)

After the September 11 attack, one company invited the remaining members of other companies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share their available office space. At a morning meeting, the head of security told stories of why these people were alive… and all the stories were just about the little things.

The head of a company survived that day because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring doughnuts.

One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off in time.

One of them missed his bus.

One spilt food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One’s car wouldn’t start.

One went back in to answer the telephone.

One had a child that dawdled and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have.

One couldn’t get a taxi.

The one that struck me most was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today!

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone… all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.

And next time your morning seems to be going wrong; the children are slow getting dressed; you can’t seem to find the car keys; you hit every traffic light, don’t get mad or frustrated. God is at work watching over you. May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose.

In the words of Rhonda Byrne, “Look for the gifts in everything, especially when you are facing what appears to be a negative situation. Everything that we attract causes us to grow, which means that ultimately everything is for our own good.”

Live life always being thankful, with an attitude of gratitude.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Expressing Gratitude
The Power of Gratitude
Gratitude for God’s Timing

Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:

‘I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren’t perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I’m glad I won them, because in the end, you won, too.

And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.’

Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Coca Cola and chips for lunch, we had to eat home cooked meals. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You’d think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labour Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head.

Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn’t let our friends just hoot at the gate when they drove up, they had to come up to the door so she could meet them. Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced.

None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other people’s property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.

I think that is what’s wrong with the world today. It just doesn’t have enough mean moms!

— Author Unknown

Meditation: Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel. – Judges 5:7

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

Greater Power
A Mother’s Love
My One-Eyed Mother

A wife joined her husband in the bedroom. Their children were asleep. He was busy reading the newspaper.

She looked at him. “My love, there’s something I need to confess” she began to speak.

“What is it?” he asked without looking at her, his face still glued to the newspaper.

“I have been unfaithful,” she said.

He looked at her with fiery eyes. He slapped her. For the first time in their marriage, he slapped her.

“How could you woman?! Seventeen years of marriage, four children and this is what you do to me? You cheat on me? How can you stoop so low?” he shouted.

He got up from the bed. He started pacing as he continued shouting, “You are the one who always tells me to keep off women. Out of respect, I keep females at a distance and you on the other hand do this?”

He was about to pounce on her and beat her. The sting of unfaithfulness enraged him. A knock was heard on the door. Their firstborn, Maria, a fourteen-year-old girl walked into their bedroom.

“Mom, dad; is everything OK?” Maria asked.

“Get out! Get out!” he shouted as his daughter.

“It’s OK Maria, dad and I will sort this out. Go to sleep.” She told their daughter.

Maria walked out of the bedroom.

“Who is it? Who have you been unfaithful with? Give me his phone number. He will know today who I am.” he shouted, trying to grab his wife’s phone. She gently took her phone.

“Show me his number. Show me his face. The filthy animal who is snatching my wife,” he shouted some more.

“This is the man I have been unfaithful with, ” she said, handing her husband the phone. He looked at the screen of her phone and saw his own face and phone number.

“Me?!” he asked, puzzled.

“Yes, I have been unfaithful with you. I have been unfaithful to God because I have been so busy loving you. In my effort to be a good wife, I have forgotten God” she said.

He sat down on the bed, confused.

“When you met me, I was so devoted to God. In fact, you used to tell me that the most important reason you chose me as your wife was because of my devotion to God. I loved the godly man you used to be. We would pray and plan on having a godly family together. I remember the days I would fast and pray and tell God that if He blesses me with a good job, I will dedicate my career to Him. God did bless me, God blessed you, God blessed us. We did so well professionally, we got good money, we could afford a good wedding. We got married,” she explained.

He looked at her intently.

She continued, “The first few months of our marriage, we would pray as a family, go to Church, have fellowships, worship and do Bible study. But slowly, we stopped living by that Scripture that says ‘as for me and my household we will serve the Lord.’ We started having children whom we failed to raise in a godly way. With success, we changed our friends. We found the born again friends boring. We started worshiping money, success and materials. Look at us now, we live in a big house but God is absent. You started taking me to ungodly places to have fun, we started drinking too much, our children are ashamed by our drinking.”

He looked away from her.

“In order to please you, I changed too; thinking that being a good wife means tagging along with everything you do. I didn’t confront you when you started going astray, I didn’t pull you back to God, I got lost with you. So lost, that I started becoming proud, shallow, self-centred; all along thinking I am being a good wife. But this is not me. I have changed so much from the woman you found. We both have changed much.”

He looked at her.

“All these; the good house, the good meals we eat, the money we have, the comfortable life; they have made us forget the God who gave them to us. I am nothing without God and I feel ashamed that I have abandoned the God responsible for all I am and have. We have started having troubles in our marriage because the Lord is no longer building our love, we are doing it on our own and we will fail if we keep on like this.” She reached out and touched his hand.

“I want to go back to the woman I used to be. A woman after God’s own heart. I miss the peace that God gives. I miss worship. I miss reading the Word. I miss going to church and fellowship. I miss meditating. I miss praying with you. What does it profit me to gain a good marriage yet lose my soul, my God? I am going back to God. Only as a wife submitted to God will I be the best wife to you and the best mother to our children. He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from God, but I cannot bring favour to you if I continue being disconnected from God. I want my spiritual life back. I want God back in our home, our marriage, our family.”

He started breaking down in tears. His spirit was convicted. He held her tightly in his arms.

“I am sorry. I am sorry for going astray and taking you with me. You chose to marry me because you thought you are marrying a godly man. I miss being that godly man. Marriage shouldn’t be a stumbling block in our walk with God. The thought of you cheating on me ripped my heart apart; I cannot even begin to imagine how God feels when we are unfaithful to Him. God has blessed us this much and we turn our backs on Him. At the thought of you cheating on me, I was filled with rage, yet God patiently looks at us in our unfaithfulness desiring us to go back to Him. I want to go back too. I want more in my life than these earthly things, I want God. I want the God of my youth. I am so sorry for slapping you.”

That night, they knelt, repented and rededicated their lives and marriage to God. The prodigal couple came back to God. The next morning, they prayed together with their children. God returned back to that home because that couple returned back to God.

Author Unknown

Meditation: if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

You will succeed because Jesus loves You!

Also read:

The Deformed Couple
The Couple and the Storm
Message from a Couple Who Have too much Stuff